Ration card remains must for old-age pension

Saurabh Malik
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, November 28

The ration card continues to be mandatory in the state of Haryana for the grant of old-age pension. The issue was brought under the judicial scanner with one Omwati moving the Punjab and Haryana High Court for directions to the authorities concerned for the grant of old-age pension.

Disposing of the plea, the HC directed the state and other respondents to consider the petitioner’s plea expeditiously in case a fresh application was submitted, along with ration card and other documents required in terms of the relevant policy.

The petitioner, Omwati, had moved the HC for the issuance of a writ for quashing the impugned order dated February 28, last year, whereby her claim for old-age pension was rejected. Her counsel had told the HC Bench of Justice Jitendra Chauhan that the impugned order rejecting her plea was passed “on flimsy ground of mistake in the record of the Election Commission regarding her age”.

Appearing before the Bench, her counsel had argued counsel that the respondent authority, in the process, had ignored the correct age recorded in the petitioner’s Aadhaar Card. It was done “in most illegal, arbitrary, discriminatory and unconstitutional manner”.

Taking up the matter, Justice Chauhan observed in his order that the application for the sanction of old-age pension was rejected on the ground that the petitioner had not appended ration card along with the application.

In his details order, Justice Chauhan added ration card copy was a mandatory requirement for sanction of old-age pension as per the orders issued by Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Haryana, Department of Social Justice and Empowerment.

Before parting with the order, Justice Chauhan added: “In the view of the matter, the Court is not inclined to accept the prayer made in the petition. However, in case fresh application is made along with the ration card and the documents required in terms of the policy, the respondents shall consider the same expeditiously. Disposed of.”